Preface

When I signed up to the British overseas volunteer agency VSO in 1979 as a young grad-uate I had only the sketchiest idea of Asian geography, and had to look Indonesia up onthe map when they told me I was going there. I had asked not to be sent to a big city, sowas surprised to land in the South Sulawesi city of Ujung Pandang (now Makasar), whicheven then had a population of half a million people. But my two years there were a mar-vellous introduction to the complexity, challenges and charm of life in Asia, and set myprofessional and personal life off on a course from which it has never really departed.

I joined Leeds Metropolitan University in 2004, and their support allowed me to pro-mote Asia-related activities within the university and further afield. The idea of a Europeanconference on tourism in Asia generated considerable interest from academics and policy-makers internationally, and it was obvious early on that this was going to be an importantevent. Most study of Asian tourism is carried out (understandably) within Asia, but theconference — held at Leeds Met in June 2006 — was an opportunity to share ideas andresearch findings outside the region. It was decided at an early stage that the conferencewould be as much concerned with policy and market aspects of tourism as with its ethno-graphic and sociological aspects so that the main driver behind the sector (i.e. its potentialfor making money) could be explored in addition to its effects.

This volume is one of the outcomes of that conference, and consists of chapters basedon papers presented there and of additional research by contributors whose work gives amore rounded focus to the whole. The collection brings together the thoughts and findingsof researchers, policy-makers and practitioners from across Asia, Europe, Australia andNorth America, reflecting the global interest in changes in industry and society in Asia.Inevitably, there is far more to say about the subject than could be presented in a singlevolume, but it nevertheless fills a gap in knowledge about the processes of tourism withinthe continent and, it is hoped, will contribute to increased understanding of the subject.More important, the increasing ease of travel and communication means that none of uscan remain oblivious to events in this huge and varied continent; understanding bringsdemystification, and with it, the confidence to engage.

Thanks are principally due to all the contributors, who diligently produced their chap-ters and patiently answered my queries. The conference in June 2006 was conceivedjointly between the University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University and LondonMetropolitan University, and I would like to thank Mike Parnwell, Terry King and MikeHitchcock for their support in bringing together a diverse range of speakers, and the BritishAcademy for its financial support. Colleagues at Leeds Met were universally appreciativeof the opportunities offered by the conference and by the book, and support from acrossthe university allowed both to take form. In particular, the excellent teamwork of DavidDewhurst, Olwen Poulter and Jane Davies was critical to the success of the conference.

I would especially like to thank Robin Chapman and Robert Cochrane Hart for theirencouragement and forbearance during my long hours of toil over the manuscript. Finally —and most importantly — the strongest acknowledgement is due to the very many people inIndonesia and other parts of Asia who have shared their hospitality, their enjoyment of life,and their depth and breadth of culture with me.

Janet Cochrane

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